Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3 officially launched

Today at the IFA 2011 event, Samsung unveiled what they described as the first product in a new class of mobile devices: the note – a device bridges the gap between the phone and the tablet. Called the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3, it features a screen that’s much larger than any smartphone, and just a couple of inches shy of being a tablet. The Galaxy Note features an impressive display: the world’s first 5.3” HD Super AMOLED display and an advanced S Pen interface which makes it stand out from the competition. It is only 9.65mm thin, which makes it large yet thin enough to comfortably fit into a pocket. It packs a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+ and LTE support, and a massive 2,500 mAh battery. The “phone-let” packs a rear 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The Note will also run on Android 2.3 (with TouchWiz of course) and yes, it makes phone calls too.

The interesting S Pen user interface is one of the features that makes the Note a really good device for, well, taking notes. Users have a “Free Capture” mode which allows them to capture any part of the screen in any shape or form using the S Pen (a very nifty way to crop screencaps seeing how most Android devices don’t support screen capture without rooting it). The S Pen will also allow users to draw objects on screen like a regular stylus.

1.4GHz dual-core processor

5.3” HD Super AMOLED display (1280 x 800)

HSPA+ and LTE connectivity

2,500 mAh battery

8-MP rear camera with LED flash, 2-MP front facing camera

S Pen interface and stylus

Android 2.3 Gingerbread

9.65mm thick

No word on pricing or availability, but we’re interested to see how this device does in today’s mobile device market. After all the Dell Streak broke similar ground in the past, but it wasn’t exactly selling like hot cakes – then again, it didn’t have the unique S Pen features of the Note. Check out the promo videos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3: